Cheating By The Rules | Harry Styles AU (ongoing)

chapter 25

Staring blankly at my computer screen, I tried to shake off the memories of this weekend. The lunch at my parents' house haunted me, and I couldn't help but feel sick when I thought about the forced smiles and the conversations in the kitchen. The way my mother looked at me was impossible erase from my memory.

Once we were back home, I thought about Josie's unexpected pregnancy announcement. It left me torn between genuine joy and hurting resentment because she was entering a new stage of her life that I wanted to experience too.

Realizing I had been crushed by Saturday, I yearned for a better Sunday. Therefore I escaped the smothering air at home and went for a morning run through the city. The fresh air did me good, but it didn't heal my pain. That's why, once I had gotten home, I stayed inside of my home office. But, even there, I couldn't shake the weight of the weekend completely. It only confirmed that I was right about how it had scarred me, and it would take a while to accept it.

When I woke up this morning, I was glad I could return to work. The hum of the office around me, made me relieved I was no longer at home with Jace. And with the lists of work I had to do, I could keep the recollections of the weekend in the back of my mind.

Then I saw it was 9 am, and it would take a few seconds before Rachel would enter my office. We would go through my schedule for this week, so I would be completely up-to-date about any last minute changes.

Rachel entered my office after she knocked on the door and I told her to come in. She had her iPad and I was surprised to see her holding two cups of coffee.

"I thought you might wanted some coffee," she said as she walked over to me.

"I do, thank you," I replied. It was nice of her to bring me something to help me kickstart my day. I took a sip of the hot brew, and started our weekly appointment off by just casually catching up, I liked to be both formal and informal with my employees, because there was more to us than our jobs. "How has your weekend been, Rachel?"

Her face lit up. "I visited my sister in New York City," she told me, her eyes sparkling with fond memories. "It has been a while since I have last seen her, so it was nice to catch-up."

"That sounds wonderful," I said, feeling happy for her. "For how long has she been living there?"

"Six years now," Rachel said. "She met her wife during her first year of college and then she never left."

"Does she visit you as well?" I was curious about the dynamic of Rachel's relationship with her sister.

"Sometimes, but it's much harder for her to get here," Rachel explained. "She works on the weekends and that's the only time when I have a few days off."

"You can take some time off, you know that, right?" I suggested gently.

"I know," she responded. "I just really enjoy working here."

"Well, if you decide to prioritize quality time with your sister over your job any time soon, just let me know. I'll happily give you a few days off if you need it."

"Thank you, Ivy," she said.

"Now let's go through my schedule, shall we?" I began.

Rachel took a moment to glance at her iPad, so she would give me the right information. "You've a call scheduled with Kirsten Jones at nine-thirty," she mentioned.

"Why does Kirsten want to call? I thought everything was going according to plan?"

"Apparently her weight loss program didn't make a huge profit last month, so she wants to expand the campaign onto more digital platforms."